Our Research

The Arthritis & Joint Replacement Center of Reading is also actively involved in hip and knee replacement research.

Christi Sychterz Terefenko brings a dimension of total joint replacement research to AJRC. Christi has worked in the field of orthopaedic research for the past 15 years, specializing in the study of joint replacement implants and their outcomes. Christi’s Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from The Johns Hopkins University has lent itself well to investigating topics such as the mechanisms of implant failure, the wear of polyethylene in total hip replacements, bone remodeling around cementless implants, and bone ingrowth into porous coated prostheses. Her involvement in hip and knee replacement research has lead to numerous publications in medical peer-reviewed journals and text books.

Currently, Christi works with Dr. Kevin Terefenko on assessing the clinical outcomes of his patients. She also consults for orthopaedic surgeons and implant device companies around the country, providing technical research support including data analysis, statistics, outcomes assessment, and scientific writing.

Selected Publications:
  • Engh CA Sr., Sychterz CJ, Keeney J, Maloney WJ: “Bone Remodeling Around Hip Implants.” The Adult Hip, 2nd Edition, Callaghan, Rosenberg, and Rubash, editors. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 207-215, 2007.
  • Sychterz CJ, Young AM, Engh CA Sr.: “The Relationship Between Shelf Life and In Vivo Wear for Polyethylene Acetabular Liners” Journal of Arthroplasty 20(2): 168-173, 2005.
  • Terefenko KM, McAuley JP, and Engh GA. Osseous Defects in Total Knee Replacement and Revision: Tibia. In: Callaghan JJ, Rosenberg AG, Rubash HE, editors. The Adult Knee. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1199-1206, 2003.
  • Sychterz CJ, Orishimo KF, Engh CA Sr.: “Sterilization and Polyethylene Wear: Clinical Studies to Back Laboratory Data.” The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, 86-A(5):1017-1022, 2004.
  • Weiland DA, Walde TA, Leung SB, Sychterz CJ, Ho S, Engh Sr CA, Potter HG: Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Evaluation of Periprosthetic Acetabular Osteolysis: A Cadaveric Study. Journal of Orthopaedic Research 23(4):713-719, 2005.
  • Griffin WL, Fehring TK, Mason JB, McCoy TH, Odum S, Sychterz CJ: Early morbidity of modular exchange for polyethylene wear and osteolysis. Journal of Arthroplasty 19(7 Suppl 2):61-66, 2004.
  • Sychterz CJ, Engh CA Sr.: “Metal-on-Conventional Polyethylene: Strengths, Limitations, and Long-term Data.” Seminars in Arthroplasty, 14(2): 79-85, 2003.
  • Sychterz CJ, Claus AM, Engh CA Sr.: What we’ve learned about long-term cementless fixation from autopsy retrievals. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 405:79-91, 2002.
  • Terefenko KM, Sychterz CJ, Orishimo KF, Engh CA Sr.: Polyethylene Liner Exchange for Excessive Wear and Osteolysis: A Report of 10 Cases. The Journal of Arthroplasty, 17(6):798-804, 2002.
  • Sychterz CJ, Topoleski LDT, Sacco ME, and Engh CA Sr. The Effect of Femoral Stiffness on Bone Remodeling After Uncemented Arthroplasty. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 389: 218-227, 2001.
  • Sychterz CJ, Yang AM, Engh CA Sr.: The Effect of Radiographic Quality on Computer-Assisted Head Penetration Measurements. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research 386: 150-158, 2001.
  • Sychterz CJ, Engh CA Jr., Yang AM, and Engh CA Sr. Analysis of Temporal Wear Patterns for Porous Coated Acetabular Components: Distinguishing Between True Wear and so-called Bedding-in. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 81-A: 821-830, 1999.
  • Sychterz CJ, Engh CA Jr., Swoope SW, McNulty DE, and Engh CA. Analysis of Prosthetic Femoral Heads Retrieved at Autopsy. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (358): 223-234, 1999.
  • Sychterz CJ, Moon KH, Hashimoto Y, Terefenko KM, Engh CA Jr., Bauer TW. Wear of Polyethylene Cups in Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Study of Specimens Retrieved Postmortem. The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 78-A: 1193-1200, 1996